Tag Archives: Phoenix Arizona

Secretary of State Ken Bennett today warned groups that are spending money to influence the Phoenix mayoral race and the Senate recall election they can’t hide behind a U.S. Supreme Court ruling giving corporations and labor unions the same speech rights as individuals.

The House approved a federal land swap Wednesday that would clear the way for creation of North America's largest copper mine in Arizona, despite opposition from the Obama administration and complaints that the proposed mine operator had partnered with Iran and faces allegations of human rights violations.

For the past four months, the Independent Redistricting Commission has worked to balance the wants, needs and desires of the residents of Arizona. The problem is that Pinal County — Arizona’s fastest growing county — is being used as the bargaining chip to satisfy other constituencies.

Beth Otterstein, a nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood Arizona’s clinic here, says patients sometimes break down and cry when they hear the news: If they want abortions, they now have to travel to Phoenix for a 15-minute consultation with a doctor and then stay overnight to have the procedure. It’s an expense that some can’t afford, and no other facility in the area provides abortions.

An attorney for state Sen. Scott Bundgaard demanded Monday that three of five Senate Ethics Committee members be disqualified from hearing a complaint against the lawmaker involving a February domestic violence incident.

Slumping housing prices and the prevelance of service-industry jobs contributed to Phoenix and Tucson trailing the rest of the Intermountain West in economic recovery during the second quarter, according to a Brookings Institution report.